A 'Mail Order Bride' company agrees pay a young ladies entire expenses if she will marry single men out west. With the help of a brothel owner, a young boy allows himself to be disguised as a woman and soon finds himself heading west on a train. His only intention is to escape the city, however, the boy in costume, meets up with a kindly old woman who exposes him unwittingly to the linking spell. A VERY slow transformation.

Chapter 20

I heard one of the horses whinny, slowly my eyes opened. There was a dark hue to the sky but off to the east it was lighter and slightly orange. I was comfortable and not ready to get up from my warm bedding, I snuggled my head deeper into my soft pillow. I reached low to scratch my inner thigh, I was met by a hand not my own. I felt the warmth of it as it rested dangerously close to the ‘v’ of my crotch. Quickly glancing up, I looked into the peaceful face of Joshua, he was sleeping, and his eyes closed in pleasant slumber.

My blonde hair had fallen in complete disarray, spilling across my own neck and chest as well as his. I sat up and looked around; Cap was sitting on a log by the fire. "I caught some fish with a hook and string I found in Mr. Martin’s box." He held up the stringer, three trout were suspended from the ground. "You suppose we could fix them for breakfast?"

I nodded, rubbing the sleep from my eyes; I felt his hand down below stir. A strangely wonderful feeling suddenly raced through my midsection and upward into my chest. I quickly looked down at the man lying beside me. He was awake.

"Good morning," he smiled.

"Good morning, Joshua," I replied back, sounding sweet and loving to my own chagrin!

"Cap caught some fish this morning; we can have them for breakfast." I said gathering my skirt and letting it fall back to the ground. I took a seat back on the blanket and shook my boots out before placing my foot inside, Cap laid smiling at me.

Joshua smiled and jostled the hair on Cap’s head. “You are a pretty remarkable boy, you know that?”

Cap’s grin widened, he looked up at me as I was smiling proudly. “Yes he is.” I said as I gave him a hug.

We sat a moment as Cap dropped a few bigger sticks onto the fire, the warmth it gave off felt wonderful and cozy. Joshua stared into the fire and without looking at me, began to speak softly; his face reflected the glow of the fire in the early morning light.

"I wasn't sure who I'd end up with when I filled out that paperwork for the Mail Order Company. I'm glad I got you." I smiled in response. He continued, "I wrote in the area for what I was looking for...I wanted her young, pretty, and female." He laughed and rolled to his side, resting his head on his hand as he turned to face me. "Looks like you are all of that, and more."

I felt my face blush as I hurried to button up my shoes, "Thank you Josh." I politely replied. I looked back at him, his eyes were staring directly at the swell above the corset where my tender skin was gathered creating a look of cleavage. I felt self-conscious and quickly buttoned them up.

He reached over and placed his right hand around my waist, "I was watching you sleeping last night," he whispered so Cap couldn't hear. "It was all I could do to keep from taking you right here on the ground."

I finished one shoe and began on the next, "What stopped you?" I asked, shocked at myself for being so forward.

Joshua laughed, "I want us to be right in God's eyes... tonight, now that's another matter all together."

I smiled nervously at him, knowing that I was heading out as soon as I could; I hoped to be miles from him by tonight! I stood up, my hair falling down around my shoulders. Seeing the hairpins lying on the bedding, I crouched to pick them up; Josh lightly brushed his hand against the golden curls. "Just pull it back some please? I like seeing your hair down."

I giggled and stood up quickly, with him still lying there under the blanket. "So, are you planning to get up sometime?" I spread the pin with my mouth and held it open between my fingers, inserting it into the cascading, golden hair.

He laughed and glanced below the cover, "I don't think I'd better, just yet." I felt a giggle rise into my throat as I turned and walked back toward Cap. It was just then that I truly realized why he didn't want to get out of bed...he was aroused. I swallowed hard, and the part of it that made me so frightened was the fact that I did it to him without even trying.

After a few minutes, Joshua sat up and slipped his boots on. He stood slowly and stretched, as he scratched the stubble on his chin. My eyes were pulled by an unseen force toward his jeans; there would be no mistaking what that slight swell was.

I looked back down the fish, as I quickly cleaned and scraped their scales from them using a knife I found in the long box. I felt my eyes widen in surprise, ‘If he's that big, just slightly smitten, what would he be like when he was fully aroused. ‘My mind wondered appreciatively. Why was I thinking this way? But then I again had that strange feeling coursed from my crotch and settled into my chest, the corset drawing tighter, making it hard to catch my breath.

I stood for a moment; then once the feeling had passed, I finished with the other two fish. Josh had walked out to the horses and Cap followed. I took the skillet and having arranged three similar sized stones in a triangle, placed them within the coals, I balanced the skillet carefully and dropped in a little spoon of bacon grease from a tin can that I found in the long box. As the grease slid around in the pan, coming to a halt in the small dip at its center, I placed the fish in and stood up.

I was stooped over, listening to them sizzle when I felt strong arms circle my small waist, Joshua was hugging me from behind. "Keep your hair like you have it." His breath at my ear was sending eager chills into my chest. "It makes me want you even more."

I raised my hand to my hair, but came into contact with his face. He kissed me just below the ear; his hands rose slowly upward, causing my breathing to become erratic. He gently caressed the underside of where the corset confined my chest, slightly putting pressure against my hard nipples with his thumbs. "Mmmm…I need you," I whispered as he turned me toward him.

"Tonight," was all he said as he smiled, turned and walked away.

I stood and watched him walking, my eyes locked upon the blue denim back pockets of his jeans. Then the words that I uttered, leapt back into my mind. ‘My God, I just told him that I needed him!’ I folded my arms and looked down; the shadow I cast on the ground looked decidedly feminine. "I've got to get away soon!" I sighed in sheer terror.

The guys moved the horses to a new area, picketing them, then returned back to our sizzling breakfast. I placed one fish on each of the two tins and removed the skillet from the fire, as it cooled I handed Joshua one pie tin and a fork.

He looked down at the fish, "So, you caught this, Cap?" The boy nodded, "How early did you get up?"

The youth shrugged, "I started fishing while the sun wasn't even up." He took the small pie tin in his young hands, "You two were sleeping, I didn't want to wake you."

Joshua nodded, "Charity here was keeping me plenty warm." His eyes twinkled, the morning light reflecting his amusement. I felt myself smile.

I began to pick at the fish lying in the skillet as my two fellows ate; the fish was slightly salty from the bacon grease, but otherwise quite tasty. I had finished by the time that Joshua had set his plate down.
"I know it's not ladylike...eating without utensils," I said, dropping a piece of the white fish into my mouth, chewing and swallowing.

Joshua laughed and waived my actions away, "Out here, a 'lady' would be buried by winters end. Only women survive life in the territories." He picked up Cap's pie tin and fork, sitting them beside me, after standing he glanced toward the sun. "We'd better be getting a move on if we want to make Webster by nightfall."

I picked up the dirty dishes and made my way back to the little river’s edge; where Joshua had sent Cap down to fill our canteen. "Thank you again for the fish, Cap." I said as I crouched by the water and began to wash off the tins.

"Twern't nothing," he said, smiling, watching the bubbles rise from the mouth of the canteen. He was quiet for awhile then I felt him looking at me, I glanced up and smiled. He grinned and wondered aloud, "Do you suppose that Joshua likes me?"

I grinned, "Of course he does," I replied bluntly as I scrubbed the skillet with sand and rinsed it clean.

"Enough to let me live with you?" he said driving the cork into the canteen's mouth.

I pushed golden hair back over my shoulder, "You already have a family waiting on you, Cap."

He looked back into the water, "I'd be a good son," he sighed, “I promise.”

I hugged him and kissed the top of his head, "I know you would, Cap."

He slowly turned and trudged back toward the wagon, canteen in tow. I sadly bent back and absentmindedly began to rewash my skillet. The pretty blonde reflecting back startled me in surprise. "Who was she? Was that really me?" Those words escaped my lungs in a sigh. I studied her reflection; she was quite a pretty girl, I thought, and then cringed at the recollection that it was really me. I gently raised a hand and touched a long golden lock of hair, and wondered, "Had the wig always been so long?"

I wondered if the wig was falling apart, it had once been a great pile of curls with only a few strands hanging near my ears. Now, it was all completely down and falling about my neck and shoulders. I let my hand stray to a hair pin, I wanted to see if I could remove the wig...trying to assure myself that Grandmas' readings were only...words on a page and nothing more.

As I pulled at a pin, I heard a noise behind me. "Charity, you know what's the matter with Cap?" I paused and turned around to face him, slowly pushing it back into place.

I shook the water from the skillet and started to reach down for the pie tins and forks but Joshua beat me to them. "He's acting quiet, as though something's bothering him." He stacked the tins and placed the forks on top, "I was hoping it wasn't anything I said or did to him."

I shook my head, "It's nothing that you have done. He's just wanting to stay with us, as our son." Joshua took the heavy cast iron skillet from me and placed the tins inside. "It's really cute that he cares for us so much. But, I told him that he had a family in Webster that was looking forward to seeing him, and his place was with them."

We walked back to the wagon; Cap had already rolled the blankets and placed it inside. Joshua tossed a few handfuls of soft dirt on the smoldering coals of our fire, snuffing it out. I walked up to the wagon, and without asking, Joshua lifted me to the seat and jumped up beside me.

I leaned behind me and pulled my bonnet from my bag, loosely tying it under my chin. My eyes caught a glance at Cap, who had tears slowly rolling down his little cheeks. I tapped Joshua on the leg and nodded in Cap's direction, and he frowned and sadly coaxed his team up the hill and onto the road. I wanted to go back and comfort the boy, but I didn't want to give him any false hope about staying with Joshua and me.

‘Joshua and me…’ I had no sooner thought it out, than I realized that there could never be a 'Joshua and ‘me’! He was a male and I was too…that was how it is! Nothing on earth could change that! I played with the long, dusty, blue skirt that covered my legs, brushing at the material until it looked slightly cleaner. I knew that behind me was a young boy who appeared to worship the ground I walked on, beside me was a man who thought I was the girl of his dreams. Inwardly, I just wanted to be on my own, perhaps having a family of my own someday. I glanced toward Joshua, he smiled and clucked to his horses, giving the reins a snap and sending us trotting down the dusty road ahead.

Chapter 21

Slowly the sun rose behind us until it stood directly overhead, Joshua pulled the reins and stopped by a small stream dotted with Cottonwood trees. He climbed down and helped me to the ground. "If you need to go, now's the time to do it." I wasn't sure if he was directing the comment to Cap or me. At any rate, we both took advantage of the seclusion in the brush and relieved ourselves.

As Cap and I were walking back up from cover of the the bushes, we heard the crack of a rifle far off. I exchanged a nervous glance with him and we hurried toward the wagon. After a few minutes, Joshua walked back up from the thick grasses. "Hope you can fix a rabbit, because it looks like that's what's for lunch!"

I took the limp cottontail from him and slowly spun it in-between my fingers, "I'll cook it if you clean it." He laughed and took it from me by its ears.

I scraped the tall grass away from the ground, leaving a patch of bare earth as big around as I was tall.

Inside it I made a small tee-pee of thin sticks, building them bigger and bigger as they came to the outside. Again retrieving a match from the box, I lit the fire.

Joshua walked back up and handed me his long hunting knife, handle first and the skinned rabbit. "Careful, the knife's sharp." He smiled, "I removed the head, I didn't think you wanted to do that."

"You're right. Thank you." He smiled, then watched me cut it apart, making the pieces small, so I could fry them in the skillet easily. He looked around and stepped away from the fire.

I was watching him from the corner of my eye as I put a small dollop of bacon grease into the fire to begin melting in our hot skillet. I poured some flour from the little bag into the pie tin and rolled a rabbit leg into it, then setting it back into the heated skillet grease where it began to sizzle and fry.

Joshua walked back toward me, concern written on his face. "Have you seen the boy?"

I stood up and slowly looked around, "No. Not since we stopped." Joshua climbed up into the wagon and scanned at a higher vantage point. Suddenly, Cap appeared carrying something in his shirt.

"I found an apple tree just down the stream. And look, here's some comb honey." He smiled and sat them on the wagon's end gate.

"How did you keep from being stung?" I asked looking at the huge yellow comb of wax. Inside, each little cell was filled with trapped honey.

He shrugged and smiled, "I'm little, I guess they never paid me no mind and wanted to share."

Joshua frowned, "You got real lucky this time, don't do something like that again without someone else around. I've heard of people dying from bee stings." He said sounding like a concerned father.

I finished placing the rabbit into the skillet and walked over to see the apples as they lay on the end gate, "What lovely apples, Cap! They'll go wonderfully with our lunch." I was trying to change the subject, Cap smiled beamed at my comments.

I returned to the fire and carried back the pan of flour and poured it back into the little sack, returning to the end gate I began to peal a few of the apples with Josh's knife. I only pealed and quartered half, the rest I placed gently into the box for snacking, later. I dropped a small wedge of the honey into a deep cast iron pan so it could begin to melt, once it had become a liquid, I dropped in the quarters of apples.

"What's that?" Asked Cap.

"Cinnamon apples...well, without the cinnamon," I chuckled as I stirred the sugary mixture.

"Smells good," Joshua added, looking over my shoulder and putting his finger into the honey then licking it off.

Cap stood close by as Joshua watered the horses; he helped me stir the apples as I turned the wonderfully smelling fried rabbit. Finally, I was satisfied in their golden color and removed the skillet from the heat. The apples were already cooling in the back of the wagon, when Joshua returned.

Cap handed him a plate, "Here Mr. Martin, this is for you."

He took the tin in his hand, "Smells great!"

I handed Cap the other little tin, smiling as my two men hungrily ate what I had cooked with my own hands.

I picked at a leg, amazed at my own resourcefulness of cooking! I had never really cooked anything before in my entire life, yet somehow I knew how to do it and whatever it was, it came out tasting great. I smiled, happy in my efforts and the compliments said as they ate. It did trouble me somewhat; still I just chalked it to picking up the talent while I lived on the streets of New York.

Soon enough, we finished, cleaned up, buried our fire, and began on our way. Cap was still sullen in his mood, but I could understand it as he sat quietly. As the sun lowered in the westward sky we began to see little claim shanties on the horizon, on and on we drove his team until a small group of buildings loomed up in the plains grassland.

We had arrived in Webster.

Chapter 22

Joshua drove his team into the little community, "Our claim is on the other side of town." He started to pull the reins as he came near a small home beside what looked like a little church. "First, we have to make a stop."

He jumped down and took me by the waist, assisting me to the ground as well. Cap bounded out of the back and scurried around to me, his eyes sad and red. "Why are we stopping here?" Cap's terrified voice trembled with fear.

"This is where the pastor lives; we're going to be married before we go any further!" I felt my heart flutter with panic as Joshua finished those words!

My eyes quickly scanned for an escape path, but nothing was visible as he held his large hand at my waist and ushered me to the door. He knocked hard on the door, "Pastor?" He called out.

From inside we heard a woman's voice, "Coming..." The door opened slowly, and the woman inside smiled, as she recognized Joshua's face. "Joshua! What brings you into town?"

He pulled me close, his hand at my hip. "This is Charity Ann August. She and I are to be wed."

"Pastor Smith isn't back yet; he should be around shortly though." She opened the door wider and bid us to enter.

"Maybe we could come back later?" I suggested, hoping that Joshua would take it seriously.

Joshua laughed and gently moved me through the open door, Cap followed quietly. "Nonsense, we already spoke of this on the ride here," Joshua said smiling, "I won't leave until after we've wed."

I nervously looked toward the window, hoping that a cyclone would suddenly drop from the sky and suck us all up. I suddenly turned as I felt Cap gently take my hand as the Pastor's wife noticed him, "Is this young man yours?" she asked, smiling.

"N...no," I stammered, "I was bringing him here from back east, he's to be adopted by a local family."

She gave me a curious look, "Oh? Did they say who'd be adopting him?" I shook my head 'no'. Cap slid behind me as if he were trying to hide, peeking out timidly from time to time.

Suddenly the door burst open and a man wearing black stepped inside, "Well, hello there, Joshua." He pulled off his flat brimmed hat then smiled, looked from me to Cap, then back to Joshua, "Is this your new bride to be and her little boy?"

"Yes to only one," he smiled and pulled me toward him, "Meet Charity Ann August. We were hoping that you could wed us right now while we're in town."

I was hoping and praying that the preacher would try and dissuade Joshua until another day, however I was wrong. "Sure. Hanna, fetch me my Bible." My heart sank as he pointed to the black book on the little table.

It went by quickly, and we were married within 10 minutes. I couldn’t believe it! Joshua shook the pastor's hand and handed him a folded bill. My new husband turned toward me and kissed my lips tenderly.
"Well, Mrs. Martin, you ready to go home?" I felt as if my knees would give out from the stress!

"Of course she is!" The pudgy pastor’s wife laughed.

That was that. We moved back outside and again we were on our way, rolling past the stage depot, a weary family was standing outside. It consisted of a bearded man, his wife and six children. Each child ranged from the ages of about seven to infant. I knew deep down this was the family waiting for Cap, and he knew it too as he ducked down behind my shoulder.

"You just coming in?" he asked Joshua, "We're waiting on the stage."

Joshua sighed, "There won't be a stage today, we just left Appleton, Minnesota yesterday and these two would have been the only ones on it."

"You know something we don't?" The man again asked as he spit tobacco juice onto the street.

"Like I said, they would have been the only ones heading to Webster, there wasn't a reason to send a coach since I met them at the train station," Josh spoke with finality.

The man sized him up and spat again, "We're looking for a boy. He was supposed to be coming from back east." He turned toward his wife, as if she would know what he was thinking "Indiana I'm figuring. Know of him? Hear of him on the train?" He directed his question past Joshua, at me.

Josh frowned as he looked over the scraggly family, "This boy you mention, how old is he?"

The man again looked at his wife, "They told us he was 15." I shot a glance quickly at Joshua.

"Fifteen, you say?" Joshua wondered aloud, pulling on his dark mustache.

"He's supposed to be old enough to help me with the fall harvest. I got a heap of work to do and can't do it all alone." The man said, spitting a stream of tobacco juice into the dust.

‘Help? They wanted Cap as nothing more than a common field hand. They couldn't care less for him as anything other than an extra pair of hands!’ I thought to myself and frowned. I looked back toward Cap, he had tears clinging to the corners of his terrified young eyes. ‘Surely Joshua wouldn't let them take Cap?’ My mind argued.

I slowly looked toward Joshua, wondering what he would say. His strong jaw flexed tightly, "Sorry mister, my wife and son were the only ones that got off the train, headed for here. If he's fifteen as you say, he may have just decided to move off on his own." As Joshua spoke, I felt my heart leap in a wonderful surprise.

"We was figuring the same thing," the man spat, then wiped the black dribble from his chin. "I'll come back tomorrow, if he ain't on the stage, I'll just go back to doing it all myself like I have since day one."

Joshua gave the man a nod and he returned it, and with a snap of the lines the horses began to pull us away. I sat smiling at Joshua, "That was a wonderful thing you did for Cap." I said to him. He grinned, quickly leaning across and kissed my cheek.

"I did it for you," he smiled, then added, "and for me." He looked at Cap and smiled, "and the boy." He motioned for Cap to come up behind our seat. Cap was overjoyed! He began crying, his happy tears fell into my golden hair as I hugged him tightly. I felt my heart swell with pride at this gentle man sitting next to me...he wasn't fooling anyone. He too had tears welling in the corner of his eyes.

Chapter 23

Far out into the lonely prairie we drove, a little yellow home sat silently on a grassy hill. "That's home," Joshua said to us as we looked at the house in the setting sun.

Fear gripped my heart; I would be too far out of town to disappear as I had hoped. Slowly we approached our little home in the middle of nowhere, Cap hugged me tightly, he was so happy. Me? I knew that this would be the very ground that they would bury me in.

Cap's little voice cracked, bringing me back out of my depressing thoughts. "Would it be okay if I called you, ‘Mom and Dad’?" His eyes danced between mine and Joshua's.

"That'd be fine. But, only if we can call you ‘son’," Joshua smiled. Cap gleefully began hugging us both as Joshua brought the horses to a stop in front of his barn. Here or there a chicken scurried eating grasshoppers or other insects. Joshua hopped down and gently lifted me off, pausing to engulf me with his tender kiss. "Tonight," he whispered. I watched him as he unhitched the team and led them away and into the barn, my own impending doom was washing at the shores of my soul.

I approached the little home, as a convicted prisoner would walk to the gallows. Toward the little door and our home with its new pine lumber, that gently lent a bright homey yellow look. I turned the handle and pushed the door open, hesitant to step inside, I leaned in and looked around slowly. Even inside, the boards were a bright and cheery yellow, revealed as what light was left outside brightened up the interior. There, in front of us was one great room that acted as a sitting and dining room, to the left, was a new stove, still black and shiny. High above was an open loft, and I assumed that it would be where Cap would stay.

Cap peeked around my skirt, and grinned at me, "Is this our home?" I nodded, unable to speak.

"I guess I can figure what you're waiting for," came the voice from behind, I turned and faced Joshua. "You're waiting for me to carry you over the threshold, like a proper husband would." Before I could answer, he easily picked me up and stepped inside. I was helpless, unable to speak in his strong arms. He left me no choice but to hold on to his neck for support as he slowly lowered me to the real wooden floor.

He gently touched my chin and raised my head, his kiss slowly fell upon my upturned lips, and again I felt myself weaken. Behind us both a clock ticked, its rhythm reminding me of how few the precious hours I had yet to live!

I stood quietly and held on to his thick biceps, he waved his arm in a great sweeping motion. "The house is yours. It was built for us as a place to raise our children. We now have one, but I hope to have several more." He grinned and jostled Cap's hair. "Go on, Charity, look your house over, Cap and I will put the horses up while you get acquainted with your new home."

I stood stunned, unable to think! I felt them leave, rather than actually seeing them go. I swallowed hard and gently touched the yellow pine, nailed horizontally along the wall. "I had to run, but where?" I sighed, hopeless in my thoughts.

With a great ache in my stomach I stepped toward a door, and it opened with a tight creaking sound. Inside this room was a bed and dresser. I swallowed hard, knowing that this was to be our intended honeymoon bedroom, most likely where I would meet my demise!

I backed out of that room as if Satan himself were in there. Walking past the little table, I headed into the kitchen. There was one long counter where Joshua expected me to make our meals, and below were odd little drawers full of spice, dry flour, and sugars of both white and brown. I fingered the counter as I moved beyond the room, heading into a small adjoining room where a washtub was perched upon a low counter. Beyond that was another door that led into a lean-to where Joshua had several stacks of split wood waiting for a cold evening or hot meal. Beyond that I could see the outline of the barn in the dusky evening; the wagon now stood empty, its long tongue resting against the ground.

The sound of the outside door closing caused my heart to jump; I spun and faced Joshua as he dropped his gloves onto the little table. "Horses have been fed and watered for the night." He looked at Cap, "You'll have to sleep in the loft until I can build you a proper bedroom." He then smiled at me, "I might want to build a couple of new rooms...if I have my way." His smile sent a chill through me.

I knew what he meant though- he wanted to fill those new rooms with children. He closed the distance between us in two great steps, quickly pulling me close, and he kissed me deeply. Again I felt as though my entire existence was being drawn out with that single kiss! He bent low, kissing my neck. "Change your clothes and fix something simple for supper. After the boy goes to sleep, I'll introduce us proper." His kiss touched the lobe of my ear, short tingles permeated throughout my body ending centered in my chest and crotch. I felt light headed as he gently released me. He smiled and motioned for Cap to follow him up the ladder that led into the loft.

I watched them disappear over the edge, turned, and as if being led by unseen hands, I began to nervously prepare our supper.